Halen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Halen
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Halen Location in Belgium
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Limburg
Arrondissement	Hasselt
Area
• Total	36.29 km2 (14.01 sq mi)
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• Total	Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Postal codes	3545
Area codes	013
Website	www.halen.be

Halen is a small but interesting city and municipality in Belgium. It is located in the Belgian province of Limburg. You can find Halen to the west of a larger city called Hasselt.

As of January 1, 2018, about 9,461 people lived in Halen. The total area of the municipality is 36.29 square kilometers. This means there are about 261 people living in each square kilometer.

What is a Municipality?

A municipality is like a local government area. It includes a main town or city and often several smaller villages or areas around it. Halen is a municipality that includes the main town of Halen. It also has two other areas called Loksbergen and Zelem. These are sometimes called sub-municipalities or smaller parts of the main area.

History of Halen

Halen has a significant place in history, especially during the First World War.

The Battle of Halen

On August 12, 1914, an important event called the Battle of Halen took place here. This battle happened near the Gete river. It was one of the first major battles involving cavalry during the First World War.

The Belgian army, mostly using bicycles and horses, fought against the German army. The German forces were trying to cross the river. The Belgians managed to stop the Germans, which was a big success for them. This battle is sometimes called the "Battle of the Silver Helmets." This is because many German cavalry soldiers wore shiny helmets. After the battle, many of these helmets were found on the ground.